Photokina 2012: Interview - Dirk Jasper of Nikon

Nikon has had a busy year, launching several new products including two full-frame DSLRs, the 36MP D800 and the enthusiast D600, which offers a 24MP sensor. In a week when Canon announced its own affordable full-frame camera, the EOS 6D, Barnaby Britton caught up with Dirk Jasper, product manager for professional imaging at Nikon Europe, to get his opinion on the competition, as well as some more detail on Nikon's newest - and cheapest - full-frame DSLR.

Dirk - is the D600 the new D300S? In other words a bridge between your DX format DSLRs and high-end full-frame?

It's hard to compare the D600 to the D300S. I see this camera sitting between the D7000 and D800, which are closer to the D600 than the D300S is. It has a decent resolution - 24MP full-frame - and we've included some of the features of the D7000, in terms of accessibility, and the scene modes and so on, but also we have D800 technology like the HDMI output, uncompressed video recording, the metering capabilities, which are adapted from D800 and D4-level technology. The D300S is a different concept. It's a semi-pro DX system camera and [the D600] is an enthusiast camera. So really we're talking about two different types of product.

We expect to get some upgraders coming to the D600 from the D300/S, though, also D80 and D90 users, we have received a lot of positive comments from them. They are considering entering the full-frame system with the D600, because they think it's good value for money, it's something they've been waiting for, because the D700 was out of reach when they bought their cameras. The D600 can process information twenty times faster than the D700. It has double the pixel count, the color range and the dynamic range is better…

The AF system is taken from the D7000 - have you made any changes?

Yes it's the same module, but there have been refinements, especially in terms of the sensitivity. With this camera you can focus at a combined aperture of F8, which isn't possible with the D7000.

Is that because the AF array occupies a smaller area of the image circle in the D600? So there's no light drop-off towards the edges than there might be in the D7000?

No, it's really the internal technology itself, which has been changed. This is something new that has been developed for the D600. Thirty three out of thirty nine focus points can offer AF down to F8. This is incredibly good for an enthusiast camera.

The Nikon D600 offers a 24MP CMOS sensor, high-end video recording cabanbilities and a 39-point AF system (inherited from the D7000).

The interface is a cross between the D7000 and D800, and all three cameras share the same battery. You can also mount DX lenses on the D600 for 10.5MP capture.

What are the challenges in putting all this technology into an enthusiast-level product?

That is something you should ask the engineers! I think the melding of proven, existing technology and new, or recently-introduced technology was very difficult. To find the right balance. That was one of the hardest things. Incorporating technology into a new product is not such a big thing, but to find the right balance so it still hits the target price point, so it's affordable, that's the key.

How important is video to your target audience for the D600?

Not so important for 'classic' photographers, but we see a huge community out there, a group of customers that we have not addressed really before the launch of the D4, the D800 and now the D600. These cameras are now being used by the video broadcasting community. For the first time this year we attended a major broadcast conference in Holland, and we had really positive feedback, people were waiting for us to go there. The D800 was used to film the UEFA championships in Sweden, among others. We're entering new markets now. Dexter is now filmed on the D800, too, it's broadly accepted even in a field where we really never intended it [to compete].

How many enthusiast photographers will shoot uncompressed HD footage?

I don't know, I can't tell you. I think it is becoming more popular though. There will always be people who concentrate on stills, which is absolutely fine of course, but a camera is there to offer opportunities. Not to say 'you must go there' but to say 'you can, if you want to'. That's the idea.

The D600, like the D800 and D4, does not feature focus peaking. Why not?

Currently, no, we don't have an in-camera solution. If we're talking about 24MP capture, and 36MP, any minor focus offset is more noticeable than it might be on a 12MP camera, no question. Working in video, where focus peaking is used most, working at open apertures focus can be an issue. But there are solutions for the problem. If you're serious, there are external recording options like the Ninja from Atmost, this works really well with the D600 and it offers focus peaking, zebra-ing, everything you might want.

But the D600 and D800 are not video cameras, they are still cameras. They have outstanding video capabilities, so we get a lot of requests for extra features but it takes research, it takes development, we have to do this step by step. For us, video is a new space. I'm not saying no, but I can't say whether we can provide focus peaking in a firmware upgrade or not.

When Canon introduced the 5D Mark II, there was some surprise that its video capabilities ended up being so popular. Were you surprised?

No. We were not. Video creatives came to us very early asking when were going to have something for them.

What's your opinion of the Canon EOS 6D? You must have been looking at it pretty closely?

I cannot really comment much on competitive models, but if you look at the concept of the 6D, I think Canon has a different approach to us. With the D600 we are really concentrating on the photographic features and we're trying to give the best photographic package that we can. We've seen a lot of cameras with full-frame sensors released in the past ten days but my feeling is that all of them - the 6D, Sony's A99 and RX1 - all have a different approach, and represent a different concept to ours.

We are really concentrating on delivering something for the photo enthusiast - so for example it was important to include a 100% viewfinder, a good AF system with enough cross-type AF points, the ability to shoot with teleconverters and still focus at F8, a built-in flash… also, you can use the D600's flash as a commander in Nikon's Creative Lighting System. That is we've been asked for by our customers. And our 'want to be' customers.

Canon's answer to the D600, the 20MP 6D, offers a slimmed-down feature set compared to its big brother the 5D Mark II but offers compelling features like built-in GPS and WiFi.

Ergonomically the 6D is a cross between the APS-C 60D and the full-frame 5D II, but the fixed screen and lack of built-in flash might surprise some Rebel upgraders.

Which of your customers were you thinking about when you first sat down to plan the D600?

We were really thinking about applications, not what a specific owner of another camera might want. So landscape photographers for example who want 'real wide angle' and feel that APS-C isn't the best solution, that was one of the main audiences we had in mind. The D600 is a full-frame FX format camera that is easier to carry around than the professional models in our lineup, but it's still weather-sealed, for use out in the wild.

Are you selling more D600s body only, or with a lens?

I don't know yet, we only just started to sell the camera this week but I expect initially we will sell more cameras without a lens. We know there are a lot of lenses out there, enthusiasts already have lenses that they can use with the D600, and they want to test these existing lenses before they buy new ones.

The D600 has an automatic DX crop mode that will let you shoot at 10.5MP with DX lenses. Do your customers actually do this?

I don't know, I don't have that information. But it is important for us to maintain that compatibility, and that's why we have the automatic DX crop mode when a DX lens is mounted. This year we reached 70 million Nikon lenses produced, and maybe say, 40 million of those are compatible with the D600. At least. This is an amazing number and I think this is a core benefit of the Nikon system - you have a future-proof, and long-reaching ability with all of the Nikon lenses.

Even second hand, or refurbished, a good lens is still worth its price, ten or twenty years later. Especially for enthusiasts, backwards and downwards compatibility is very important. Once you invest your money in a system it must be safe. You must get value for money.

Comments

> Canon's answer to the D600, the 20MP 6D, offers a slimmed-down feature set compared to its big brother the 5D Mark II but offers compelling features like built-in GPS and WiFi.

has the wrong model --should (now) be "Mark III", not "II".

And this Nikon guy casually suggesting that the D600 somehow sits nicely between the D800 & D7000 omits the serious hit a DX user w/DX lenses must take in order to be shooting FX!Yes, where IS the wanted "D400" !?

Nikon D600 or Canon D6 ?! I think that both brands made a mistake, both will sell poorly. The pros don't buy because of the numerous decisions taken by brands to defend sales of its models above. And for amateurs is very clear that they are overly expensive. Solution? Quickly download your positioning in the market, cutting the price 25%. And this does not solve the problem completely. Both will have to replace quickly in a timely manner, necessarily shorter than commercially wish, their old top model in the line APS format. Or both will miss the amateur markets fringe extremely demanding, they know what to expect from these two brands on the market. The amateur line is already too rich in proposals for all prices. It is high time that the best experts in photography, among non-professionals, also should be taken into account

Cynicism Nikon is knowing what all Nikonistas awaiting is the D300s replacement. There is no doubt that the D600 cannot be taken by D300 replacement, yes a slight up for users of the D7000. And you don't need to throw sand on the eyes with the story of a body accessible to professionals, they do not want the layout of the D600 which is deeply amateurish. The current owners of a D300s feel ashamed to continue to use their machines, for half of the value someone makes better pictures side by side with them with a D7000, despite having the worst conditions of use due to layout and ergonomics problems, losing the comfort of usage. Want me to buy the ... them, or wait another year for the exchange that they haven't done yet? It will be difficult not to lose customers. To which they respond with this yearning D600? Buy the most expensive amateur machine on the market!? I hope you have weak sales, because this model is only justified to about 1500 to 1600 € body. Shame this Nikon

Played with it today. It's a nice camera, have to say the AF system is a let down. All those AF points in a small area. I'd prefer less points in the area supplied so I can select the point I want quickly. Or a larger area with the AF points supplied. The FPS and AF were quirky. Wasn't as fast as it claims (but I was indoors) The build is nice as expected but I just can't get used to the button layout. Good start Nikon but a you tried a little to hard to hit the spec sheet and not the functionality.Wait to try the EOS 6D now. The spec seems more what I want and the layout is what I'm used too. Let's wait and see...

It's an interview about the D600 and its competitors, not a discussion of every Nikon product. The interviewee is manager of their professional division in Europe. He isn't the right person to ask your questions. Even if he knew the answers he couldn't answer them.

I'm a Nikon (D40) user and I feel very pleased with the terms of the interview.I'm a "'classic photographer" planning to make the upgrade of the camera body and, for now, the D600 is my choice. But until a few month ago I was balanced to change to Canon (7D) because I live in Portugal, and I'm not so pleased with the comercial policy and terms of tecnical assistence of Nikon in my country. There is no Nikon Portugal... And Canon rules the market at the enthusiast and the professional levels.I hope that Mr. Dirk Jesper will read this lines and provide the needed changes to the presence of Nikon in Portugal.

I'm (still) a D50 user and I too have considered switching to Canon, because Nikon makes life hard for portuguese users. The market is flooded with Canon gear (both expensive and inexpensive) while it's hard to find Nikon gear, nevermind at competitive prices! That's why I bought my D50 from Germany. It came with a german only printed user manual wich I was not expecting. At the time I called the NIKON Portugal representative to ask if they could send me or sell me a manual in english or portuguese language and as soon I told them I had bought the camera from Germany they "politely" hang the phone on me!

How refreshing to read an interview in which the company representative gives honest, non B.S. answers, does not denigrate the competition, and says he does not know, when in fact he has no answers.

Great interview and interviewee!

I've got all Canon equipment, but have utmost respect and admiration for Nikon's impressive innovations which includes backwards compatibility (use of APS-C lenses with FX sensor cameras) and serious attention paid to the customer's point of view.

Were I starting to buy equipment I would, at this point, start with Nikon.

Well said! That's the exact reason I switched from using Canon FD 15 years ago -- I saw the writing on Canon's wall in the mid-80's and began to use Tamron Adaptall lenses, just in case I needed to jump ship and join Pentax or Nikon.

On occasion, I'm still using some of those lenses on my Nikon bodies, and since then I've added a fleet of Nikkor glass as well. I guess you could say I've always used "FX" lenses and am happy that I can still use all their benefits, no matter what body I'm using.

Only Nikon (and to a lesser extent, Pentax) have kept compatibility as one of the foremost functions for professionals and enthusiasts.

Its really sounds good to me !! Especially Words from last few questions , the company is started thinking about customers and users investment one more stuff I like to add that is emotional involvement with the old gears and That role a big part with a new gear so compatibility is a big deal for all those soul photographers ..............

What he doesn't mention is that once they sold all their D800 and D600 inventory, it's time to upgrade the DX line. Very soon there will be a video-oriented D5200 (or D6000?) with the hybrid AF from the Nikon 1. There will also be the D7100 and then the D300s successor (D8000 or D9000?).

Not to mention Nikon will be releasing some high quality DX lenses to push the release of these cameras, such as the upcoming 16-85mm f/4 DX and hopefully a 24mm f/1.8 DX prime.

These are exciting times for Nikon because they have a very solid lineup where they are putting function over form.

Canon and Nikon hope that all their customers using they DSLR will stick with them forever. These 2 manufacturers failed to see that mirroless camera are a valid alternative for some applications also for pro users.Canon and Nikom are keeping alive this mamoth format just for their economic interests.

I hope Sony and Fuji in the future will eat all their market.....I can't wait when the mirroless will have full frame, when it will happen also the video entusiast will migrate to mirror less cameras.

What is the magic about "mirrorless"? It is the same black box with the mirror removed. I would say the lenses and sensors are 100x more important in forming the image that whether or not there is a mirror present. Heck, if you want to shoot mirrorless on a Nikon, switch to Live View.

The problem with all mirrorless is that they are not system oriented. You cannot for example, build a photographic business around a mirrorless camera because there are no accessories or lighting equipment available that would work with it. When someone gets serious about photography he starts thinking about the whole package that will enable him to grow in his business. DSLR line is the only line that provides that with lenses, lighting equipment, and other host of little tihngs.

Just for their economic interests?Just?Isn´t those companies, like any other companies, in the trade to make money?Mamoth format? Is it the size of the camera you complain about? Is it too heavy or to big in size? Does a pro care much? I do not. I have used Medium format and big bulky FF film cameras a lot.And I am quite sure that Nikon and Canon knows a lot more than you about their customers and their preferences.Losers? Sure.Have the thought not occurred to you that IF the consumers move big time to mirror less, Nikon and Canon will come out with mirror less? And the Nikon/Canon users can continue to use their 100 million lenses.

I agree with Mike9 about not getting the mirror-less mystique. I can grab a D600 with its beautiful viewfinder and frame potential shots all day and not waste a dram of battery power doing so. It is exciting to get that wide open feeling I had with my F3HP and evf's never do that.

The other important thing for me was a camera with an internal focusing motor to support me older (excellent) Nikkors and a sensor format that gives me DOF like my old film Nikons. The D600 does it and saves me $1000 in the process. Say what you want but there is not a lot to dislike here.

Looks like a nice camera but I probably won't buy it. I have a D300 and D7000 and no need for FX. The D400 may interest me though, for wildlife. My D300 is so loud it scares away wildlife, that's gotta change. Plus video would be nice.

What I am disappointed about with Nikon though is its entry level approach to the N1 series. As a rep in Britain said months ago, "We want enthusiasts and pros to be buying our DSLR's". Well Nikon, why don't you give your customers what they want instead of telling them what they want? Has it not occurred to you that many pro's don't want to lug around DSLR's all the time?

I cannot justify buying a V1 because of its shortcomings. I am waiting for a Z1 or something that has better controls and menu system. I want a small mirrorless camera that has "pro" level performance -- obviously not in terms of ISO performance due to the small sensor but everything else. The FT-1 adapter will not suit my needs for my existing DX lenses, its AF performance is unacceptable. Why can't this be fixed so that our lenses are indeed backwards compatible across the whole Nikon system?

Small cameras are not just toys for entry level photographers. They are desired by serious enthusiasts and pros who can't, or don't want to, lug around a big DSLR in many circumstances. Many of us are travel photographers and we want small, small, small! We want DSLR performance minus the mirror and large sensor, it's that simple.

I think Nikon are thinking a little ahead of our times with the Nikon 1 series. There's is no doubt that one day that Nikon 1 sensor will outperform all the sensors that are out there today. Until that day, Nikon 1 is just a placeholder to compete with m43.

I'm personally incredibly happy with my D7000, but bought an Olympus PEN as a compact camera. I feel like at the moment it offers me better lens options for the same price, though at the same time I realize that Nikon 1 is far more future-proof than any other mirrorless system out there. Mirrorless is about size, and the only way to offer compact lenses is with a smaller sensor. One day those small sensors will be outstanding. If these sensors can offer 1000 fps shooting, it will probably be possible to do out-of-focus backgrounds with a similar concept to HDR.

I also wonder how will DX & FF develop? Will the price come down (further?) and the quality go up (even more?)? Can we sqeeze these "std" sensors into even smaller, cheaper, lighter houses? into compact cameras? w. mirror &/ mirrorless?

I sincerely hope the market goes like the car market: wider diversity. more options for buyers &/ users.

Why? The problems with the N1 series have nothing to do with physics, it's poor user interface and not gearing the controls towards people who actually want to do things with the cameras besides point and shoot.

I agree though, the laws of physics will eventually likely win out and limit what is possible with a small sensor.

Although, maybe we will see mirrorless electronic cameras go beyond what we thought possible by taking multiple shots at 1/20,000th and then using some algorithm to average them out to go beyond what a single image on a DSLR could produce in terms of ISO.

I have been looking towards the m4/3 system and I admit that I am put off by the high price and that it's still pretty large. I am thinking that I might just bite the bullet and get a J1 and lens combo soon when they go for cheap on clearance sales, at least the lenses are good and they will hold their value until a better N camera comes out. OK Nikon, you won...

I think we need an excellent 300/4 VR with (almost) no visible degradation when using the TC14E II. We also need 400/3.5 and 500/5.6 (or arguably 600/5.6) lenses. In the manual days, the 400/3.5 was one of the most popular wildlife lenses, fairly small and light and much cheaper than the 400/2.8. This lens yearns for a modern update. The 600/5.6 was slightly rarer, but also a lighter alternative to the 600/4. If Pentax can see the gap, why can't Nikon? The 800/5.6 is good and well, but it is not the lens that most wildlife photographers are looking for.

So why are we still unable to change the aperture in video mode with the D600? I thought our days of flipping to photo mode, changing our aperture, and flipping back to video were over with the D4 and D800, but this camera seems to have the same video aperture problem as previous models. What gives Nikon??

I'd say it would be easyer for Nikon to design some "video" lenses the oldfashion way, with an aperture ring and a chip to tell the camera the actual aperture value. Then they could just update the camera's firmware to make it work. Just a thought...

The D600 is a compelling new offer from Nikon, I realized that as soon as the news about it at last was out (rumors about it have been around a long time).

Seems even more now, hearing Dirk, that the D600 will one day be part of my line-up, instead of all the Pentax gear I now have. Pentax seem unable to produce a full-frame, and yet a lot of their lenses, still in production, are optimized for a full-frame camera!

As the V1 have no in-camera, or in-adapter, focusing motor, the D600 will work very well with my G lenses ;-)!

I'd been with Pentax since entering the DSLR space and have upgraded to every model from the K10 to the K5 but this year was do or die for me. They missed their last chance to keep me by not going FF this year. I broke down and got two D600's. I've only had them for a week now but so far, they are amazing. The D600 has some missing features compared to the K5 but having the DoF / FoV characteristics of 35mm, with an AF that actually works pretty much makes up for the short comings.

«Even second hand, or refurbished, a good lens is still worth its price, ten or twenty years later. Especially for enthusiasts, backwards and downwards compatibility is very important. Once you invest your money in a system it must be safe. You must get value for money. »

Agree! But then why you NIKON stopped making "afordable" cameras with AF motor built-in? To save maybe $5 on parts? I have 5 lenses that cost me a lot of money and, if I don't want to loose AF, the only upgrade option is D7000. This is not important for pros, semi-pros or the so called 1%, but it is for me and others. I invested in the NIKON system and now if I want to upgrade to a new camera body (from a D50) I must pay ~1000 Euros. I don't want to buy a second hand D90 or sell my lenses. I want a NIKON D3200 like or D5000 like camera that can let me make full use of the lenses where I INVESTED my money!

There are new D90 cameras out there for $500. Probably once the D7100 comes out you'll find a D7000 for the same price. Either way the D90 is a far better camera than either the D3200 or D5100, and it costs $500 new, so I don't see why you complain?

AF motor is left out of the entry level models to make them smaller, because for people deciding on their first DSLR size is a very important factor.

Here's the perfect DPR commentators camera - A 101 Mps FF sensor, 551 all cross type focusing points, 25 FPS, 4K at 350FPS, full built in audio control, Full titanium body with full water proofing, 500% VF and a 10 inch LCD screen and ISO which goes to 1,000,000 without any digital noise All for £100.

The problem is we live in the real world, not the fantasy world most people who comment here live in....

Very interesting interview. Seems to me that maybe have a D300s successor in waiting - maybe D800 focussing and metering, 24mp APS-C chip and high frame rate all on the cards. D600 at £1614 (Amazon Uk price) seems very reasonable for what you are getting - better performance that the D3X in most if not all areas but well under half the price. Sure this will be a very popular addition from Nikon.

If you refer to the interview you can clearly spot that this camera is not having features for good videography like the canon one. I am canon shooter but I wish canon concentrate on photography not vediography like what Nikon did.

Because all the major manufacturers appear to have the view of "if you can't afford it then it's not for you.". Goodness, what do you think will happen if a commoner was carrying around a D4/1DX on the streets using it like an everyday camera! Oh dear!

When i read the question i already knew the answer.. as a samsung ambassador/rep and former olympus rep i can tell you whether the nikon rep likes the canon product or completely hates it he is more than likely not allowed to comment on it, and especially not say anything negative about it, or any other company publicly.. so its either say, "yeah its good..." or, "no comment on competitors products"...

I feel a lot better now about having an adequate "semi-pro" D400 in the near enough future. Thank you Nikon. D400/D800 combo FTW :-) (Currently D700 owner... next purchase will be a D400 as a second body, and the subsequent one may be a D800 down he road)

I’ve been proud owner of D90, D700 and 15 Nikon lenses. Unfortunately my D400 dream became nightmare. So far I can’t see a reason to switch D700 with D600.D90 is another story. I’d like to have 24MPx sensor with 1.5 crop 50+ focusing points, fast burst, 5-9 steps exposure bracketing + MORE SEMI-PRO futures. Why not -macro shooting engine for capturing let say 6-9 images with different focusing points and simple stacking software.Probably a lot of us will enjoy macro photography at higher –better quality level, don’t we?Wild life shooters will be happy too – no need of 1000mm lens + they will keep some $$$$ in their pockets.I’ll be glad to have 2,3-5X macro lens too.

Kodac: you can always create a custom steel and rubberized cover that you can glue on top of the onboard flash on D800.After all a lot of pro's do additional protective layering/casing in everything they use, so whats stopping you from doing something like this? For the rest of us - we will happily use the onboard flash when the occasion arises without carrying extra bulk of SBx00's

I'm a Canon used and I agree with all of what you said except the built in flash. Built in flashes are lame and they never do a good job. I loved my 5D Mark II before I sold it (getting out of the photo business) and I loved that it did not have the lame pop up cheap flash. All the other stuff I agree 100%. I'm still a Canon user.

@kodacrome, have you ever actually broke a pop flash off this or higher level of camera? Im sure it could happen.. but im thinking, if your camera hits something that hard chances are a lot more than the pop up flash will be broken as well.. so if you smash the top area of a D4 or canon 5D mark III with same force.. tell me what would probably happen...

Not including a built in flash on a non-pro body is lame in my view.Not including it on a pro body like D800 or D4 is understandable for the integrity and sealing of the camera.So I think it's good that the D600 has a built in flash, also for off camera triggering and flexibility of not having to lug around an SB for a family dinner..

what makes me laugh is this eternal affordable camera stuff. Even at 1500$ it is only affordable to those who have the money. You can sell anything at any price if you find a sucker who pays that.

Is it not time to speak about a cheaper FX camera, not an affordable one. We are far away form a budget pricing anyway. If you consider that a D600 is a D7000 with FX sensor and that it's development and production costs not more than the first, the price is much too high anyway. All that prices are scaled in a way to protect other models of the brand, but not with any affordable or budget for anyone in view.

Shameel,Please go ahead and create a sub 500$ FX model in todays market. Make it perform like a D600 and then sell boatloads of it. Whats stopping you from doing that? If you cannot answer that then let people buy what they are prepared to pay for.Other than that it is just whining.

Very good interview, except the interviewer could, in my opinion, have asked a few questions about the popularity of mirrorless cameras in the lower price range, and how does the N1 perform there. Etc.

1) Nikon presents the D300(s) as a semi-pro camera. If I would get $ 1,- for every D300(s) that is used professionally, I would never have to work again.

2) Nikon seems to have a name for the group of users for every type of camera: - classic photographers (don't know what they use) - enthousiasts (D600) - high end users (D4) - pro's (D800) - amateurs (D3200) - and finally the semi-pro's (D300)The answer that you can't compare the D600 to the D300 is a hint that the D400 will come. If Nikon takes its customers serious, its impossible that will ignore a huge number of "semi-pro" users.

Perhaps you're used to looking a P&S images if your expecting front to back focus in a close-up. It's not like the photographer is going to stop the lens down to f22. He's made a portrait of Dirk Jesper, not the camera.

That is the disadvantage of FF sensors, too much DOF. For some works you need that and have it without any specific lens, and you can get more with a fast lens. But, what is if you want less, well you step back to APSC or any other smaller format. Any sensor size has advantages and disadvantages. Now to make this better you need to make bigger lenses and bring tham further away form the sensor, like in medium format. Then you can reduce DOF again. So, there is for many a reason to stick to APSC, me included. Some larger APSC sensors have the same DOF issues, the 24 mpix APSC from Sony produces DOF almost as much as a FF.

Sounds like you mean "not enough DOF" from FF sensors (vs. APS-C) in the first sentence of your reply to Turbguy1.

And of course, that is your opinion, based on your need - it is not an intrinisic "disadvantage" w/o context. And: you disregard photographic control.

I like the built-in "reach" of an APS-C sensor when I need reach, e.g., sports.

I can get shallow DOF with that sensor, but I can always stop down w/FF if I need more, and that is where I think your statement falls on shaky ground.

The photographer can make a choice: just b/c you're shooting FF, doesn't mean you can't stop down in bright light. With these sensors, low light still allows clean ISO support for shutter speed handheld, thus more DOF.

Importantly, but not related to DOF those who want an "advantage" like wide angle from a given lens on FF vs. APS-C...there is a big difference in FOV and potentially cost to get the equiv FOV on an APS-C sensor. That's an overriding advantage for FF, landscape.

Never understand why people stopping down beyond f/8 or f/11 to get larger DOF, talking about f/22 is talking about diffraction, period.

DOF is caused by a combination of sensor size, aperture and focus/subject distance. When f/8 or f/11 doesn't give enough DOF, f/22 will not get the whole picture sharp either, only taking more distance from the subject will (or taking a pocket camera with small sensor).

In this case Mr Dirk is the subject of post and not the camera, so the shallow DOF focusses on the subject, well done.

Why the D300 owner does not want D7000. I can hold my D300 whole day in my hands, but 3 hours holding D7000 results in right hand pain. Bad grip and smaller discomfort body.I know the differences between AF MultiCAM 3500 DX (D300/D3/D4/D800) and 4800 DX (D7000/D600). The AF in D300(s) is bettter than the one in D7000. And the reason is not 51 points versus 39 points. I want the fastness, reaction, buffer, framerate of D300 successor, not the D7000 effort. I want 8-10 fps of the further D400. I want 3/5/7/9 steps exposure bracketing, I could not make this photo with D7000: http://www.tomx.eu/Foto/Vylety_Cechy_a_Morava/Vyhlidka_Maj_2011/slides/Vyhlidka_Maj_03.html . I want D300 strategy of exposure metering, not D7000 burned highlites. I want to connect big flash lights to D300 body connector which D7000 does not have. I want D300 material quality, not D7000 problems well known. I want AF-ON, D300/D4 features of AF, not reducted D7000 sets. I want lossless NEF compression.

DX crop has one big problem: 0.70x viewfinder magnification against 0.94x of D300 which can be increased 1.20x by DK-21M and you still see bottom line with exposure. You cannot magnify D800 viewfinder and still see bottom green line!!!marike6: I tried make photos with D300 and D7000 against the sun. I do not care about DR on paper, but I saw burned highlites on the about 2EV overexposured D7000 pictures. I can send tou the RAW samples!!!

Every advantages of the newer D7000 camera can be placed in the D300 body and save D300 body and D300/D3/D4/D700/D800 autofocus module. This is the principe. The advantages of new sensor and new firmware are not fixed to the D7000 body and D7000 MultiCAM 4800 DX and small buffer. They can be placed to the D400. Nikon has the customers for D400 and it is the main thing. I am happy Nikon will calculate people who want to buy D400 and not the people who do not like D400. :-) :-)

These D300 owners do not care about they look as pros or not. They/we only want D300-type bodies and D300-type AF and D300-type power and ergonomy. Professional or amateur using is not importaint, we use D300 features and ergonomy for many years, we love them and we do not want downgrade to D7000 body-type. It is so hard to capture? Have I be pro to be allowed to want some level of the camera? The professional and amateur difference is making the money, but both make the photos and why the professional must have another feeling in his hands at making photos?

Everybody who compare D300 and D600 price, totally forget the lenses!!!!The owner of D300 has for instance Nikkor 10-24, 17-55/2.8, 16-85 VR, 35/1.8 and 70-200/2.8 which is 300mm equivalent or 55-300 which is 450mm equivalent. Can you calculate the price of changing DX lenses to FX equivalents which brig to me the 1,5 EV gain written in the discussion? I love my Nikkor DX 10-24 and do not want sell it for low price and buy 16-35. Why to do it? The reason??? I love my Nikkor DX 17-55/2.8 for indoor photos (often with SB-800 flash) and I do not want to sell it and buy the expensive and heavy 24-70/2.8I love my 16-85 VR and I do not want 24-120/4. I love my 70-200/2.8 VR I, its 300mm equivalent and croping its bad corners by DX crop.I love my lightweight DX 55-300 VRI love my DX 35/1.8My only one lens which is better on FX than DX is Nikkor AF-S 85/1.8G. Only one, six lenses are better on DX! It is much better solution to buy D400 than D600!!!

Oh boy Tomas X, you're on DPR as well? If I never see your rants again, it will be too soon. Not so long ago you claimed nothing above D70 makes sense. Then you claimed the D200 is useless when the D80 exists. Now even the D7000 is crap (just just how did you hold and use the D80?). In another two years you'll hate DX. Why don't you just buy the D4 and be done with cameras for a while instead of fretting over the upgrades. I've been using one DSLR as my primary for 6 years and apart from D700, nothing tempted me at all. Way cheaper in the long run too.

Just quickly, the D7000 is a great camera although it does have a few quirks. Metering and AF the main ones IMO. I own one, enjoy using it but understand why people would go for the D300s over it for the aforementioned reasons.

You can buy a cheap car with a reasonable engine, or an expensive car with the same engine. What you may not expect is to have the same comfort in everyday life, traveling in a car. Dx format or FX, is not the most important, is the whole package. Positioning of buttons, direct access to certain settings, menus, configuration possibilities, drawing of grip, etc. For those who work many hours every day with a machine in your hands, the pixel war nor is there. Comfort and efficiency are the key to the success or defeat of a model. D300s is outdated Yes, but needs to be renewed soon.

The most obvious question for D300 forum readers would be: Whats happening to a successor for the D300? It seems to me that the questions were prepared as in "I am glad you asked that question" ...boot-licking-good interview! Very impressive!

Everybody can see in the forums there are many of D300(s) users who do not want to switch to FX and who do not want to buy D7000 or D7100. I do not understand why there are so many people who think they know better what we need. I understand many D300 owners are affraid D400 will not come, but I do not understand the people who do not want for D400 and must explain why is D400 pointless. Their arguments are not universal and are unusable for D300 owners who wait for D400. Why every DX D300 owner has to switch to FX? The D300 owners who want to switch to FX, already bought D3, D700, D800 and maybe some of them D600 now. But there are many rest D300 owners who want the semi-profi DX body. We love our DX lenses and our FX lenses on DX bodies. We know our D300(s) very well and we know why we do not want D7000 or D7100 or D7200.... How can the people who do not own D300 strictly tell the D7000 is better in every way. We know it is not, we know why is D300 body the right for us.

How many of you guys tried the D300 and the D7000 side-by-side? I did, as Tomas did. I was offered to trade my 5 year old D300 for a brand new D7000, said no and never looked back. The controls on the D300 (focus options and features, AF-ON button, etc., etc.) and the way the camera sits in your hands leave the D7000 in the dust. No offence, the D7000 is a really fine camera, but it's just not for me (after getting used to the D300). A lot of people feel the same, so don't blame us, as we don't judge the other guys hwo made a different choice. The D7000 (or its succesors) will never be an option, as far as I'm concerned. On the other hand, just because FX is really fashionable these days, it doesn't mean we have to bury serious, high end DXs. Just think that, 6 years ago, THERE WERE NO Nikon FX DSLRs. Did that mean there were no Nikon pro users? Come on, guys! Let's not fool ourselves. There are lots of people who DON'T NEED FX for their kind of work. Nikon just cannot ignore this.

Do not compare video to stills, on stills you need all the pixels to be recorded at every image you shoot, on video only the change of pixels on the next image is taken in account. Now, I think that if you use any apsc lens, the camera records video in full size of the video mode you selected, but with cropped field that you see in the VF frame. You can not use the pixels outside the frame since they will not get any correct information if the lens is not made for that. D600 and A99 switch over to apsc mode once you put such a lens on it, other FF cameras do the same, lenses have info coded inside and camera reads that and steps down. So, video with APSC glass is not a problem. I bet that you would not even see the difference when you see a film shot in both modes.

I think he may be referring to the non-AI F mount lenses made between 1959 and 1974 ? My understanding is that these will foul the AI coupler on the D600 lens mount. Non-AI lenses WILL mount ok on the low end Nikons ironically (like the D40) because low end DSLRs don't have the AI coupling pin on the lens mount.

pre AI lenses won't mount without a modification. Also the lenses for the APS-C SLR which I think was IX mount, those lenses were similar to the Canon EF-S lenses, they protrude into the mirror box so won't work. Then there are a few fisheye lenses that required a proper mirror lock up mode, these won't work. I'm surprised that there are 30 million that won't work though.

Fuzz:Some non-AI lenses will mount but you have to be careful as the flange of some lenses will foul the aperture tab. The 28mm f3.5 Nikkor-H, for example, mounts OK and can be modified to AI by adding a blob of epoxy putty to engage the aperture tab. You then input the max aperture using the non-CPU data menu.

These non-AI lenses are well worth seeking out as their image quality and feel equals modern Zeiss and Voightlanders at a minute fraction of the price.

All interviews by DP staff remind me a commie reporter talking a high rank commie officer during a cold war.Q: "How come we don't have enough potatoes?"A: "But we'll have enough potatoes next year for all..."

If you can't ask who is responsible for a Lunar fiasko Q line, etc, don't ask at all and don't insult DP readers!!!

Interesting that no one from Canon has been interviewed by DP - I suspect that no one wanted to step up to the plate and get hammered over the new 6D. I'm off to a Culumet Open Day next month - Canon staff will be there - without being too rude I fully intend to speak my mind !

You write this hours after the Nikon interbiew was posted. You SUSPECT that they're afraid- well maybe dpr just hasn't published the interview yet. I SUSPECT you don't think before you type, sorry but I just hate these thoughtless psotings.

Actually, in the interview, the Canon guy sounds sensible. How needs many AF points for portraits? And for low-light AF the points need to be bigger... External screen on smartphone via wifi sounds cool, too...

They probably sat down for a long time, looking at competitive models and lock-in, and decided on a price they thought enough people would pay ;-)

It might sound crass and sarcastic, but they are running a business.

At maybe 1000-1500€ for the body, I'd have given upgrading from my D7000 a thought, if only to get away from the godawful sensor (that I'm probably mentioning in every single post I'm making here, but it's really driving me mad). I could even keep the batteries and wouldn't need to learn a new button layout.

That said, heck, at a lower price, the D600 would probably even make a decent camera *in addition to* a D7000 for some people.

@cgarrard, not specifically, it's producing a load (several hundred) of "warm" pixels that aren't really "hot", just light up faster than the rest, and bleed into neighbouring pixels of the same colour. Neither ACR/Lightroom nor Nikon's software are able to filter them, Nikon support seemed pretty clueless ("yes, those are hot pixels"), people have been burning through replacement sensors without improvement, and a remapping during service didn't really fix it.

It's really, really good at "normal" exposure times, but long exposures without built-in dark-frame subtraction are worthless, so every time I look at a star trail image, I get high blood pressure ;-)

Quite interesting. Without a doubt, if I did not already have my D300 I would be very interested in the D600 especially as all I have are three FX lenses (12-300mm is quite enough) from when I used to use film, even though nearly £2000 is a lot of money. Now "entry" level DSLRs go for £700+. How absurd. They are not entry level at all. That's just marketing.

I cannot agree with Dirk Jasper on one thing. 12mm on DX is quite wide enough for landscape photographs in which I specialise. Before, when I used my Sigma 12-24mm f4.5-5.6 EX DG at its widest with my F80 and film, I had to be careful not get my feet or own shadow in the frame. If you are interested in freakery going that wide on DX may be useful but the landscapes I like to take are real and believable.

(BTW the Mk I version of that Sigma 12-24 is brilliant, at least mine is. Some say they vary. I now use it 95% of the time as the results in landscape shots with very near objects in them brings the perspective to life .)

keepreal, you really have that rare 12-300mm Nikkor FX-sized glass? Wow, I have been trying to get a zoom for FF 135 with that substantial zooming range, or at least close to it, and a 25x zoom range is just the ticket. 12mm UWA to 300mm tele, wow!!! What is the model number and do you have any idea what it goes for?

Francis. It is very simple. I put the three lenses in a bag - Sigma 12-24mm f4.5-5.6 EX DG, Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-4 D AF and Nikkor 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 G AF-S VR IF-ED. Then I contrived a device to switch from one to the other and thereby achieved the 25x range. The device is an interchangeable lens mount. If you have a Nikon DSLR, you might have seen one.

Judging by your comment, you are a clever fellow so I am sure you could do this yourself or are you just some idiot who when he has nothing to say, still has to say it?

Are you not slightly embarassed by the gouging of customers you carried out with the D800 D4 prices on release, while offering up the worlds feeblest of excuses? Are you actually aware how much the D600 will sell for? let us know now so you cant pop out the same excuse again.

Are you in any way ashamed of your quality control department which missed some blindingly obvious issues with the D800.

The market determines the price as which Nikon can sell this camera. Don't player hate. If Nikon priced the D800 for $5k, it wouldn't get many sales. If the D800 was sold for $2K, it couldn't maximize profit. Nikon is in the business to make money, not be your friend. You sound immature and entitled. Sad. If you want a friend, get a dog.

Have you never paid attention to a new product launch? The smart person waits until the smoke clears to avoid the initial issues that may exist. No one forced anyone to purchase the camera after launch after much noise was being made about the AF issues. Early adopters pay a higher cost.

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